'Let me be living martyr,' declares MeToo accused actor Jayasurya
Malayalam actor Jayasurya has publicly refuted allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him in August. The accusations came to light after the Justice Hema Committee Report on women's conditions in Malayalam cinema was released. A female actor had accused Jayasurya of misconduct, to which he responded from the US by denying all claims and expressing concern about their impact on his loved ones. On Tuesday, he was summoned by the Kerala Police for questioning, after which, he addressed the media.
Jayasurya highlighted inconsistencies in accuser's statements
Jayasurya highlighted inconsistencies in the complainant's allegations at the press meet. He said, "There have been two fake allegations against me. I'm not sure why the complainant, who first denied it was me who apparently did these things, went on to name me in her allegation." The actor further questioned the credibility of his accuser's claims by pointing out factual errors related to shooting locations and timelines of his films.
'At least, media is giving space to explain my side'
The actor stressed that such false accusations trivialize the seriousness of sexual harassment. "In the light of such fake allegations, many voices that are sincere and true get silenced. I would fight these claims till the very end," he declared. "At least, the media is giving me space for explaining my side. What about others?...Let this be the last time this happens. Let me be the living martyr in this case."
Jayasurya refused to disclose investigation details but denied allegations
Jayasurya clarified that he hasn't been formally arrested and the case didn't require him to apply for anticipatory bail. However, he refused to answer questions about the truthfulness of the allegations or his responses to them. "I can't tell what I said inside (to the authorities). I can't disclose everything. All I would like to say is that I am completely denying all these baseless allegations."
Other Malayalam cinema figures also face similar allegations
Notably, the sexual harassment allegations have not just been leveled against Jayasurya, but also against other big names in Malayalam cinema. Nivin Pauly, another actor accused of misconduct, also denied these claims at a press conference on the same day. Cases have been registered against actors Siddique, Mukesh, and Edavela Babu and director Ranjith.
